ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Can aplliances designed for 60herts be damaged if used on a 50herts system?

If the icebox motor is frequency dependent and designed for 60 cycles it will run slower on 50 cycle current.

This also means it will work harder to pump that freon around the system causing it to overheat and give up the ghost prematurely.

I wonder how much design tolerance is involved when a modern-day cut-rate radio manufacturer selects a transformer.

Some transformers are ok on both 50 and 60 cycles but the radio is marked as 60 cycle only (usually the case with 110/117/120-volt rated radios).

I've noticed on some USA-market radios that the transformer gets noticeably warm...leading me to think that the manufacturer is running the trafo close to its limits.

The 220 volt radios are usually rated for 50 cycles and will work fine on 220 volt 60 cycles (if you're using a step-up transformer.

I never got a chance to take a 120-volt 60-cycle radio to Europe to see if the radio's internal transformer was going to be OK with it. Yes I was planning on using a step-down 220-110 transformer with it!! :-)

Ragnar, if you see this, do you have any 110-volt 60-cycle transformer operated appliances that you use regularly? Have you noticed any problems with overheating?

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 05-29-2003).]